


Golden cage

by DS_ds



Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Gen, and why Anne flared in the train, my take on aspects of season 3 ep 2, season 3 ep 2 spoiler, what goes in Marilla’s mind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-15 07:13:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20862296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DS_ds/pseuds/DS_ds
Summary: This is my attempt at deeper description of what goes in Marilla’s head from end of season 3 ep1 to end of ep2 plus some short forward thinking of mine. All connected with Anne’s lineage quest. Tiny bit of Anne/Gilbert train scene also there.





	Golden cage

**Author's Note:**

> This work was inspired first of all by AwE of course. I seem to be taking other impression of episode 2 of 3rd season than other authors. I am not so shaken by the Gilbert/Winifred thing as I simply see it as further expansion for Gilbert character (as described by a review of geekmom from 2017 - google it if you haven’t seen) but rather Marilla’s reactions hence my below attempt.  
The quote at the beginnng comes from a Polish band ‚Hey’, their song from the early 90s, translation is mine. Song title is ‚jealousy’ but i find the quoted piece equally fit for overprotective love.

Zlota klatke sprawie ci  
bede karmic owocami  
a do nogi przymocuje  
zlota kule z diamentami...

(i will get you a golden cage  
and shall feed you sweetest fruits  
diamond studded prison ball  
will attach to your leg)

I

Marilla’s love might not have been apparent at first sight but she was capable of loving fiercely and deeply. The more it hurt her to loose her loved ones and this was what petrified her most in her life.

Michael’s death hit her unprepared, there was no time to do anything, she was just left with a bleeding heart and responsibilities she never expected to face falling on her. She had to bit her lip and keep going.

Her mother kind of slipped from them - into oblivion, stupor, her own far away dreams and despair. Neither Marilla’s desperate efforts nor her diligent care could bring her back and she receded into shadows leaving Marilla orphaned.

John surprised her in his belief she could leave with him. He was a restless spirit willing to experience the wild beyond, she felt duty must go first even at the expense of her own true feelings (and was indeed terrified a bit of jumping unto unknown). Thus it happened she watched her soulmate go away one rainy day, with a broken heart and nagging thought she should have acted differently.

Now she lived with gaping holes in her heart, filled with liquid grief ready to spill over if she was not careful and kept herself curt and matter-of-fact at all times.

Almost at once when Anne mentioned the need she had to look for her biological roots Marilla felt fear. She feared what her imagination (oh, but Marilla had an imagination almost as vast as Anne’s own, she only hided it well...it also worked in a bit different directions such as ‚20 ways Anne and Matthew can blow up Green Gables if left alone too long’) showed her as a possible outcome - that an up-to-now unknown relative will appear and carry her Anne away. Anne whom she learnt to love so dearly as if she was her own child. Anne who brought so much happiness to her and Matthew. 

She let herself be persuaded by Matthew into letting Anne go on with her whim. But immediately afterwards her imagination showed her fantastical and tragical pictures of what could happen - even if remotely possible only - to a girl taking the train to a nearby town. Let alone sailing across to Nova Scotia (To be fair it needs to be said that Marilla have never really sailed outside of PEI herself so her imaginings were to a great extent fed by the fear of the unknown and gossips about faraway places she heard on and off all her life). This is why she insisted so much on Anne having a chaperone all the way (which annoyed Anne so much) and why she fussed so much when seeing Anne off at the train station - her nerves were almost at the edge then.

She never knew how she survived the Saturday when Anne was away on her quest without sliding into insanity. Yet she did manage to curb her fears somehow. And was rewarded by the news of orphanage records having perished...oh the relief!...only to be shocked to learn that Anne has already planned the next instalment of her trip. The article on Indians (gossip and unknown again was at work here and unlike with Bash Marilla was unable to overcome them with reason) was just that last pebble that was needed to tip the scales. All her fears just got better of her. She cannot risk loosing Anne again. For the sake of Anne, Matthew and herself. She would not live another such Saturday. No, Anne must be grounded and kept safe, even if against her will, even if her lineage quest will have to be abandoned.

II

Anne was really annoyed at Marilla’s fussiness. She understood her care, this is why she agreed to travel with Gilbert (as to Cole she had the feeling he would serve dual purpose - assuage Marilla’ fears and also be a solid support in an emotionally difficult journey she was undertaking). She wanted to be trusted by her guardian and appreciated for her thoughtfulness. Maybe even admired a bit for her courage to embark on such tragically romantic quest. Instead she got plenty of fuss, comments on her fragility, immaturity, vulnerability...really, not what a 16 year old young girl...woman!... was hoping for. And to make matters worse - it was all in front of Gilbert, a school comrade and person kind enough to agree being a ‚chaperone’ (oh, really! - she rolled eyes in her mind) but certainly not a family member or anybody intimate enough to be exposed to such comments about Anne. 

And Gilbert - oh, come on! - when faced with fussy Marilla showed himself lacking that astonishing empathy everyone always attributed to him... well, really he had empathy for Marilla but certainly not for Anne. He could have said Anne was old enough to travel on her own but he will just accompany her as a friendly soul. Or maybe reiterated Anne’s belief women can look for themselves quite well on their own although it is nice to have someone to chat to on a train so here he was, an extra benefit being calmer Marilla. Oh no! He had to go into jokes fit for old gossips like Rachel Lynde and not emphatic and forward thinking young male. Jokes that never fail to annoy young independent women in question. 

No wonder Anne rolled her eyes at Marilla and snapped at Gilbert. She was just so disappointed and exasperated by their behaviour on top of her own anxiety about the outcomes of her trip really.

When later that evening Marilla practically denied her the possibility of another trip to Nova Scotia and then in the morning wounded her deeply by twisting her efforts to write the article into something foolhardy and really narrow-mindedly offending her new friends...Anne felt herself being swept into the depths of despair. And she really had no inkling nor idea how to come back. In the past her imagination helped her with tales of princess Cordelia wronged by cruel mortal enemies. This time the blow came from somebody she loved and who - she believed - loved her back...

III

Anne kept herself safe as Marilla wanted her to. She travelled only to school, she stayed indoors all of the other time. She abandoned all talk about her lineage.

But...

She talked only if directly addressed. She kept to her room whenever possible (the kitchen at Green Gables was practically back to the quiet place from before Anne’s time with the Cuthberts). She lost all interest in spelling bees and frankly let Gilbert get ahead of her in all subjects but literature. Her scones lacked any flavour at all, her pies any decoration. There was no running downstairs nor upstairs with excitement.

She had shadows under her eyes. She looked thinner than upon her arrival at Green Gables two years back. Her food was nibbled at but never consumed in full. Even her braids looked depressed and fell down limply.

The doctor was called in.

He run a thorough examination of his patient, checked all vital parameters, looked for any hidden clues but found nothing obviously amiss with her health. And yet...

He quietly ask Marilla in the kitchen if there was any stress, any disappointment in Anne’s life recently. She narrated briefly the affair of heritage trip, Indians and resulting grounding. He furrowed in thought.

‚There are wild things that can never adjust to captivity, Marilla’ was his parting remark.

Marilla managed to remain in her former unmoved state till evening.

‚Anne, come here for a minute’ she called upstairs after supper was ended...


End file.
